Wolffe’s Moon
by Valkyrrin
Summary: The story of Nix, half Mandalorian and half Nightsister, and her redemption from the dark side through an unlikely ally: Commander Wolffe. I do not own Star Wars or any of the characters.
1. Prologue: How Darkness Crept In

Nix sprinted through a meadow of flowers at daybreak. She just finished eating her breakfast meal, packed full of protein and carbs to replenish her muscles after her morning combat training. Her father insisted once she turned 7, she would learn the art of war-as all true mandalorians do. Now she was 10, and quite adept at her martial arts.

Nix had one thing on her mind, however. She was headed toward her favorite thing to do-watching her mother meditate. Her mother would sit in meditation on the cliff side every morning overlooking the open plains. But the best thing about the occasion for Nix was being able to watch the floating pebbles and blades of grass orbit around her mother, a side effect of the Force.

She had a small red flower in her hand, and as she snuck up close enough to her Mom, she let it go into the air in front of her and watched as it became entrained in the orbiting ring full of nature's treasures.

"I see that you've been learning the art of stealth from your Father well enough." Her mother was still sitting facing away from her, with her long red violet hair glistening with the rising sun. Her hair contrasted well with her pale gray skin. Nix always felt such love and warmth whenever she was around her Mother. She could sense that her eyes were still closed.

"When will you teach me how to use the Force like you do?" Nix walked around to her mothers side.

Her mother opened her silver eyes and the ring around her began to fall, with the little red flower landing in her lap. "Whenever you're able to be patient enough and sit in meditation with me!" Her mother teased, and snatched Nix up off her feet and into her lap. She began to tickle her mercilessly, and Nix laughed until she couldn't breathe.

They sat for a while. Though instead of meditating Nix sat and listened to her Mother tell a story. It was about a little girl she met who was very powerful in using the Force, but was too impatient and brash to sit in meditation. She had been all across the galaxy to find force sensitive children. Something she did for her old job, she said.

"What happened to her?" Nix inquired of her Mother.

"Well, she-" her mother was cut off by the faint sound of hooves hitting the ground. They were in the open plain, and at any second they would be able to see who was coming toward them-and they were moving very fast.

Her Mother immediately reacted. "Run, and tell your father we are under attack. Go, now!" Nix looked up at her Mother and saw the panic in her eyes. It urged her into action.

Nix took off at full speed. She was headed straight back to the encampment, in the opposite direction of their attackers. She stopped and hid behind a boulder when she heard rifle blasters. She had to see if her Mother was alive.

Looking back across the field the short distance Nix had made in between her and her Mother, she saw that her Mother had armed herself with a saber made of light. It was a rich green, almost the same hue as the grassland around her. Her mother made busy work of the warriors that had come to ambush her, she deflected their blaster bolts as they closed in on her. She effectively and swiftly knocked them off of their stallions. Her Mother moved with such grace and agility, she had never seen anything so beautiful.

Her Mother made one mistake. She caught a glimpse of Nix peeking around her boulder and hesitated for the slightest second, and the last warrior standing lunged his spear right into her Mother's chest.

Nix screamed out in agonizing grief as she witnessed her Mother crumple to the ground. The warrior immediately turned in her direction and started toward her.

Without much thinking, Nix fell back on her training from her Father. They charged each other, Nix and the warrior with his spear. As soon as she was upon him, she parried and disarmed him, he kicked her square in the chest and knocked her back. They squared off, and instead of controlling her emotions, she gave into her grief and anger and let it wash over her. She felt a wave of cold, but she felt-powerful. She summoned all of it to her.

Nix took a step toward the warrior to make him take a counter step the side, right where she wanted him. She swung the spear around just off of the ground and knocked him over. He wasn't expecting a 10 year old child to have that kind of strength.

She lunged at him as he rolled away, but not without cutting his cheek. As he turned around to get up, she swung around at him again, eviscerating his abdomen. He fell to his knees, holding his stomach in.

There was a silent moment where they held the other's gaze, Nix never letting her guard down and holding him there with her hatred for him.

"Just get it over with," he said, eyes wild and blood dripping from his mouth.

She let out a blood curdling yell, and with all of her hatred, drove the spear right into his chest.

She watched the life fade from his eyes, and could sense he was gone.

But she could sense her Mother was still alive, only barely holding to life. She looked around for her, and found her just a few yards away.

"Mother!" Nix cried out to her, and ran over to her, falling down to her knees beside her. She held her hand gently with the same hands that were capable of such violence.

"Nix, my baby girl," her Mother could hardly manage a whisper, and was much too weak to move. Nix listened intently with tears streaming down her face.

"Don't let your hatred consume you. Unless you risk the dark influence of the Force controlling your life. I should have trained you, I should have-"

"No, Mom it's okay, everything's going to be okay." Nix sobbed, and sat there with her Mother in silence for what seemed like a lifetime, yet not enough time at all. And she saw the life fade from her eyes as well, along with a part of Nix.

Nix sobbed for hours until her Father, with a small group of clansmen, came to investigate why they both had been gone for so long. Her Father picked her up and brushed her off-told her to walk home while he carried her Mother's body back.


	2. Chapter 1: Darkness Manifests Within

War. Violence. Anger. Nix focused her mind on scenes of previous battles, feeling the cold seep into her bones. She replayed scenarios over and over, considering all of the possible outcomes. She enjoyed performing this mental exercise before every battle or skirmish she entered, as it made her more perceptive in combat.

She opened her silver eyes, the only physical trait she received from her Mother. The rest of her resembled her Father: shoulder length black hair and olive toned skin. Nix looked around at her environment. She sat next to a small fire she built, amongst a barren and rocky landscape. The atmosphere was very thin, and she wore her helmet because of it. As the sun was setting, her clansmen were readying for a night mission on this uncharted moon along the Kessel Run.

Her Father's clan had been hired on for what seemed like a basic mercenary job. This was the only reason her clan would be halfway across the galaxy, away from Concordia-their home moon. Her Father was a member of the Death Watch and was one of the top contenders for a future Mandalore. Her clan was one that supported the Old ways-not the new Pacifist government that had been instated by Duchess Satine Kryze and her posse of do-gooders.

As her Father's right hand, she went into battle whenever he did, and frequently took on her own Mercenary contracts. However, they were here on orders from Pre Visla-leader of the Death Watch. He made a deal to assassinate and subsequently retrieve someone for a man named Count Dooku.

They were almost ten miles outside the holding facility on the moon. Nix and her team had already memorized the plans of the facility down to every door and hallway. They had an access and egress planned along with a plan B and C. They were to enter swiftly, assassinate a well guarded prisoner and leave before anyone realized they were there. They were only waiting for the go ahead from her Father, who would be taking out a sentry of guards at a key point in the perimeter. He reveled in hand to hand combat.

He came back with his scouting group about an hour after nightfall. He walked right into their makeshift camp with his command presence and air of authority.

"We move now. Quietly and efficiently. Do not hesitate, and stick to your training. We'll be home in no time with enough money to feed our clan for the entire year."

Nix made eye contact with her Father and in that moment they understood each other. There was no time for sentiment. She had a job to do. They both nodded at each other and that was the end of it.

She looked at her handful of warriors-the best three they had at the art of stealth. She knew them from their training, as she usually sparred with them and often won. But she never went out of her way to become friends with them. They were her brothers-in-arms, and it was better not to form those kind of attachments.

"You heard him." They gave her a nod of respect, snuffed the fire and followed her. It was a little over nine miles to the entry point. She took off running at a decent pace, and kept that pace for an hour until they reached their destination. They were at the bottom of a cliff side, one that led up to the southern wall of the prison. It was an easy climb-one they did bare handed with no equipment. No sense in bringing extra gear and leaving evidence they were there.

When they reached the top of the cliff side, she signaled to her Father over her comm link to engage the sentries. Right above them was the grated cover to the ventilation system, which they removed easily with a compact welding tool. They didn't have to worry about alarms or cameras, they hired an inside man for that. Some poor soul with a gambling problem.

As soon as they were in, they temporarily secured the grate for a quick egress if needed. They quickly maneuvered their way through the ventilation pathways that they memorized. As they moved past the guards right outside the holding cell, the four of them were stopped by another grated cover. Nix took the opportunity to instruct one of her men to kill the two guards inside the room with poisonous darts. They made quick work of removing the second grate.

As the four warriors lowered themselves down into the room, Nix could sense uneasiness. The man they were sent to assassinate and retrieve was restrained to a medical bed and had electrodes on his temples-with wires attached between them and a computer. He seemed to be unconscious. Count Dooku made no mention of any possible medical condition or ailment-and the situation suddenly began to feel off.

Nix took out her dagger and prepared to make a clean and quick death, when she was suddenly frozen in place. The only movement she could manage was to look to her left and right, and her comrades were frozen in place beside her. It felt like ages that she was standing there, posed to strike and nothing to do but become lost in her own mind.

"Outlying Sentry has been taken care of, report status." Her Father's voice came over the comm link. Unable to reply, her rising anxiety multiplied ten fold. Minutes went by.

"REPORT STATUS." The command was suddenly much more urgent.

 _You thought you could assassinate me, SITH_. If those words were spoken aloud, they would have been full of crazed anger. How was this man-whatever he was-speaking to them?

 _What a coward-striking a man in a comatose state. I will keep you frozen here as long as either of us live!_

This man was completely insane.

She did a second hand assessment of her target. He was dressed in a gray tattered robe, and looked entirely hopeless. But he had the power to hold them there, for as long as he wanted. The thought of her suffering a fate worse than death-being trapped inside her own unmoving body-overwhelmed her.

Fear, born from her anxiety, started to take hold of her.

 _Now you know the prison I've experienced for years. YEARS! And now someone wants me dead? For what? Because there are things I know, I know...how to create an ARMY born of one man! One man. I was the catalyst of that monstrous creation. A weapon to rid the universe of all you SITH,_ he spat, or at least that was the impression Nix had gotten.

Sith. There was that word again. She had never heard anything remotely like it. An Army built from one man? That didn't make any sense at all.

He was insane.

She needed to get free, she would not let herself suffer the same fate. But how was she going to get free? Maybe her Father would come for them. As soon as that thought crossed her mind, she felt like a child in need of saving. She did not need his help. This man will not keep her here, and Nix was determined to be the Master of her own Fate.

 _Don't be foolish, your efforts are futile._

She tried mustering all the strength inside her, but to what end? Her fear and anger kept rising, until her familiar terrifying cold swept over her. It rose within her, overwhelming her as much as the thought of being imprisoned for eternity. She hated this man, hated him for thinking he could control her. He was wrong, and she was going to enjoy taking his life from him. She felt movement in her right arm, she was able to lift it ever so slightly and she reached out to him. She could not reach him.

 _STOP_!

She felt him fight back, mentally. He was trying his hardest to keep her paralyzed, but there was no use. She was completely infused with power from the Dark Side of the Force.

She didn't know this fact, all she knew is that she was desperate to get out. She felt his neck in the grip of her right hand, although she was not touching him. With all her might, she crushed his throat with her overwhelming rage. His body seized in protest. This was her only chance to break free, and she was going to take it. She felt his pulse slowly lowering, and felt him take his last breath under her fingers.

He was dead. She and her team mates were suddenly released from their invisible chains, and it felt good. It felt even better to know that she won.

What just happened?

She snapped back to what her mind was on before-the mission.

"Nix, come in. We're at the rendezvous point. You have five minutes before the entire base is alerted to our presence. REPORT STATUS."

Her Father hadn't left, yet. She realized in that moment the amount of faith he had in her abilities.

"Target is neutralized, heading to rendezvous point." She kept it short and direct-they had to move now if they wanted to make it on time.

"Grab him, we're dragging his dead body back through the ventilation system with us." As she looked at her team mates, they nodded obediently, not saying a word. The three of them were quiet and looked toward each other uneasily-she could tell they were utterly afraid of her.

Good, she thought to herself. They know who's boss.

They made their way back through the ventilation as easily as they came in. Their preparations created a quick and efficient egress. Her Father's shuttle was hovering at the entrance on the cliff side.

Nix and her men entered the shuttle, setting down the limp body of her target inside a cryo pod. The door shut behind them and she removed her helmet. Her Father was standing in the bay of the shuttle. He took one inquisitive look at the body and one stern look at Nix that said, 'explain.'

"I'm not quite sure what exactly happened."

"There is no puncture wound or kill mark. How is he dead?"

"I choked him." Her father took a look at the man's neck in disbelief. "I-didn't touch him. I choked him...with my mind." Nix sounded like she didn't even believe herself.

Her Father wore an expressionless stare on his face, and looked beyond her as if remembering something from a lifetime ago. "When we arrive onboard the Malevolence, I'm taking you to see Count Dooku."


	3. Chapter 2: Equilibrium

_24BBY, Mandalorian System_

The Malevolence was almost invisible against the black of the universal abyss. After a day of traveling without warp speed, Nix, her Father and their clansmen had arrived at the Ship commandeered by the man known as Count Dooku.

Nix had no idea what to expect from this person. Who was he? He had to be someone of substantial influence to convince Pre Visla and her Father to temporarily abandon all progress in taking back Mandalore for a simple merc contract. And anytime her Father talked about him, it was not without the utmost respect.

Their shuttle floated up next to a docking port, and soon they were connected to the side of the Malevolence.

"Unlock the cryo pod, and lets go." Her Father commanded the other Mandalorians with ease. The shuttle bay door opened up, and their group started through the Malevolence, the cryo pod hovering alongside them.

Nix noticed the lack of color. Everything was colored either a jet black, or a carbon steel gray. It seemed as if Count Dooku preferred practicality over design, and she liked that. Following the lead of her Father, it seemed as if he had been through this pathway plenty of times. Had he worked with Count Dooku before, without informing her of it? How well did she know her Father?

As they passed through hallways, the guards let them pass with salutes to her Father. To Nix, that meant they knew who he was. Did they know him through Count Dooku, or was her Father's status that renowned? She was growing to be more suspicious of the situation, looking to her Father for any sign of what was really going on. His face gave nothing away, always the Stoic.

Before she could think through their situation any further, they entered the bridge. She didn't realize it when their shuttle pulled alongside the ship, but the viewing windows on the bridge looked out over her home moon of Concordia. They were some distance away, with their system's star on the other side of her, casting a crescent of light along the horizon. It was peaceful.

"Welcome, Ronox Ordo. And this must be your daughter, Nix Ordo." A man dressed in dark brown robes, with white hair and a full beard addressed her and her Father. She rightly assumed that this must be the Count. He studied her for a second, as if measuring her potential.

What drew in Nix's attention wasn't him exactly, it was the young woman standing behind him. She closely resembled Nix's own Mother, and the sudden thought of her caught her off guard. This woman had pale gray skin, with silver-blue eyes. Although her Mother had long red-violet hair, the woman standing in front of her was clean shaven and tattooed. Nix did not feel any of the warm feelings from her that her Mother had always exuded. There was a flash of happy memories, running through fields of flowers on Concordia with her Mom. And then suddenly she saw the spear through her Mother's chest, a flash of agony, and then nothing.

She realized she hadn't thought of her Mother in a very long time.

Count Dooku narrowed his eyes at Nix as if he sensed her sudden unstable emotional state, then spoke again. "You both live up to the legacy of your ancestors. Let me see the body."

The warriors that helped her assassinate him were the same ones that guided the cryo pod on its way to the bridge. They brought him forward, and Nix swore she saw a flash of regret as Count Dooku gazed upon the man. Almost as if he was looking upon someone he once considered a friend.

"Now, we need to discuss some important matters, other than payment of course." Her Father spoke directly to Dooku.

"Ah yes, you will receive your payment in full, as promised, along with supplies for your cause. So as long as you follow through on your word to overthrow the New Mandalorian Government and swear loyalty to me, and the Separatist Alliance."

Nix had a hard time believing her Father would bow down to anyone after receiving the mantle of Mandalore. Regardless, her Father gave him a curt nod as if to agree.

"And you, young one. What are your aspirations?" This time, Count Dooku addressed only her. She actually hadn't put much thought into this. If her Father were to assume the title of Mandalore, she would help him do so, and possibly one day follow in his footsteps.

Sensing a hesitation, her Father answered. "The Force has manifested within her, as you foresaw."

"As they must have, having the ability to assassinate a former Jedi Master-even in a comatose state."

A Jedi? No wonder he was able to mentally paralyze her and her men. She still didn't quite understand what had transpired. But Dooku knew what they had walked into, and it sounded like her Father was in on it too. Rage built inside her. She couldn't trust her Father when she needed to be able to.

"What are you getting at?" Nix inquired, a little coldly.

Count Dooku looked at her, seemingly...impressed? "I would like to teach you the Dark ways of The Force along with my other pupil, Asajj Ventress." He extended his arm toward the woman standing behind him. "When the time comes, the two of you will face each other for the title of my Sith apprentice."

There was that word again, Sith. Nix took one hard look at the young woman, and immediately set in her mind that she was her competition. She had to best this woman, and the thought of honing the power she demonstrated earlier excited her. Asajj regarded her with a similar cold gaze.

Nix smiled, without any warmth reaching her face. "I accept."

 _22BBY, Serreno_

Two Galactic standard years into their training, Nix had become very adept at lightsaber combat, and carried two of her very own red bladed sabers. Count Dooku had trained them both under the same dual lightsaber fighting style-Makashi, form II; a strategic move to ensure they would be completely matched when it came down to dueling each other.

He had also taught them in the ways of Sith meditation, and honing the Dark Side of The Force for their own bidding. Asajj excelled at Force Telekinesis, and was adept at using mind tricks. Nix used The Force differently, greatly enhancing her strength and speed, and she was well versed in calming humans and taming beasts-and enraging them. The latter wasn't of much help in combat, so Nix relied on the fact that she was a superior duelist to Asajj.

Now they were to complete their final training exercise before their first actual mission. Today was like any other training day, waking up before dawn as she had when she trained with her Father. Instead of martial arts training however, they always began the day with two hours of meditation. Count Dooku taught them that to master wielding a lightsaber, they must first master their minds.

Before every meal, they had to earn it. They would duel each other three times a day for a small plate of food, and the loser had to go without eating. There were a few days where Asajj wouldn't eat at all-she wasn't able to best Nix in combat. Nix would never admit it, but there were a times she let Asajj win, so she wouldn't starve. If Asajj wasn't at her best, Nix wouldn't improve either.

Before their first meal of the day, they were to meet Count Dooku in their training room. Their training room was located at a secret facility not far from the Dooku Family Palace. It was a very plain, large, building. The facility was protected by battle droids, as was the Palace.

Count Dooku spent most of his time at the Palace. Neither Nix nor Asajj had ever stepped foot inside.

They arrived at the training room, a large and open circular room with a domed ceiling. Dooku was centered on the mat, sitting in a meditative pose with his eyes open. He was waiting for them.

"As you know, today is your final exercise. This is the last thing I have to teach either of you." He stood up with his imposing sense of grace.

"Today you learn how to hide your intentions and motives in combat. If either of you are to defeat Jedi Masters, you need to know how masking your movements will give you the upper hand in battle. The way you do this, is through the force."

Count Dooku pulled out two blindfolds out of the inner pocket of his robes and held them out in front of him.

Nix and Asajj, in unison, stepped forward to claim a blindfold.

"Sit. And place them over your eyes."

"Yes, Master." The Apprentices replied in unison, and did as they were told.

"Now, duel one another."

Duel one another? Blindfolded?

"Master? I don't see how this-" Asajj was interrupted by her own screams as Dooku sent Lightning born of Force Energies through her body.

"Do NOT question me, Asajj." Dooku let up on his torturous method of discipline. Nix heard her trying to catch her breath, and wondered why she always had to question his motives. He always had a methodical reason behind everything he did. Asajj didn't know how to take orders.

"Now. DUEL."

Nix, using her mind and the Force, unsheathed her lightsabers. Asajj had done the same. Nix waited for her to make the first move, which she learned from her Father. This gave her time to calculate Asajj's move and prepare for it. She always began with the same one of four moves, which was how Nix consistently defeated her. Asajj never realized that she lost before she ever started.

It worked. Nix countered Asajj's first cut at her, and they fell into the usual dance of lightsaber combat. Although blindfolded, the ability to duel without their sight was remarkable to her. They parried and swung their blade at the other, and Nix could hear the electric sound of their sabers making contact. Nix only now realized exactly how much wielding a lightsaber depended on using the Force. Something she was always told, but never quite experienced until now.

As they slashed and stabbed at the other with dual wielded sabers, Nix was trying to think of a way to get the upper hand. She had a feeling Asajj would be calculating the same.

Asajj became ambitious, and struck Nix with a wave of Force Energy. In that moment, she knew Asajj was flustered and vulnerable. Nix had an opportunity to strike at her, to show Dooku who came away from this lesson as the Victor. She swung her blade toward Asajj's throat.

Then felt a fiery warmth against her own.

Dooku clapped ominously.

Had she just made the most simple mistake, and lost?

She pulled off her blindfold to see that Asajj's blade had met her throat, and Nix's had met hers. Asajj had removed her blindfold, and the two of them stared at each other, speechless. For the first time in their training, they were evenly matched.

Count Dooku, who had prepared years for this moment, declared, "You're ready."

(Star Wars canon has a different backstory for how Asajj was brought under the tutelage of Count Dooku. She actually taught herself the form II lightsaber technique, and Count Dooku had given her the lightsabers from his former Padawan, who was assassinated by Jango Fett. Y'all will see Commander Wolffe in the next chapter as well. Please review! I would like to hear what y'all think of my writing, and if you have any suggestions. Thanks!)


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